CRYPTOPSY Interview

The Gauntlet: I must admit, while it's an honor to interview you, I'd prepared for Flo, so I have very few questions prepared for you.

Lord Worm: You could always ask what flavor of ice cream I'd like to be. I got that in Toronto-it was wonderful.

The Gauntlet: Well, perhaps we'll start with that, then. If you could be a flavor of ice cream, what would you be?

Lord Worm: (pause) I have to admit: lemon sherbet with absolute vodka poured over it. It's got those esters in it that are pleasing to the palate, and then you've got the vodka to wash it down, not only the aftertaste, but the kick.

The Gauntlet: Have you had it before?

Lord Worm: No, but it's an answer to the question. I had to answer that question in Toronto, and that's the best I could do, but it seemed to please the young lady.

The Gauntlet: Did the rest go as swimmingly?

Lord Worm: Worse. The interviewer pretended to be Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was wonderful. It was so stupid.

The Gauntlet: Do you run into a lot of that sort of thing?

Lord Worm: No, I wish I did, though. Stupid is really good.

The Gauntlet: In what way?

Lord Worm: It's amusing. It breaks the ice. Fills the moment with wit; without wit, we're twit, and what's the point of that?

The Gauntlet: That's so. Well, I suppose we'll get to it then. How's the tour been, this is one of the last dates, isn't it?

Lord Worm: The penultimate date, actually. Tomorrow's Cleveland and then we go home after roughly a year of touring. This is tour number six in the past 12 months. (pause) It's a lot on the body. Anyone that's done that or more will tell you it wears you down and that you'll be pretty sedentary for a period after that. Happens it'll be the holidays, which is all fine, too. Get to sit home in our cozy little pads with the snow shrieking outside, families and friends waiting with all kinds of alcohol. It's good! After all that touring of course we come home with enough money to keep everybody else happy, too. Time for presents and more alcohol. And there's New Year's, more alcohol.

The Gauntlet: Seems like a theme.

Lord Worm: Yes, it's a motif. Booze is a motif. I'm very happy with it.

The Gauntlet: Do you indulge while on tour?

Lord Worm: As much as possible. But, about 3 hours before show time, stop, and have safe things: Coffee to get rid of any traces, to get the tone back and the control.

The Gauntlet: Do you find you've had to change your methods over the years to try to maintain�

Lord Worm: God, yes. But, I mean, over the years because of the passage of time on the body�I'm well into my 40's now�eventually one must find little tricks to regain whatever abilities there were in youth that could just come like that. I can't really do it anymore unless I retain this sort of regimen. (pause) I'm old, what am I gonna do?

The Gauntlet: I've read some comments people made: they would hear 'Once Was Not' and think you had "lost it", and then see Cryptopsy on tour and realize you were just as good as you have ever been.

Lord Worm: Things have changed. I don't know if it's due to age; it's certainly not maturity, that's for sure. I guess anything over time will evolve of its own accord without the onset of maturity or advanced years. Things change over time because they must: better, worse, or just sideways. So, whether its vocal stylings, voice patterns, sound, range, presence, whatever�
And the whole 'Once Was Not' thing, though, wasn't my idea. I was basically hired to do it 'that way', so I did it 'that way', because I was getting paid.

The Gauntlet: At the beginning?

Lord Worm: Sure. I was at first just called back to do lyrics, but with lyrics come vocals. If I can get my throat back to do vocals for an album, I might as well get the chops back performing live. When our much-missed guitarist, Jon Levasseur, left, one of his parting gifts was the idea of doing a 'None So Vile' tour that had never really been done before, which was a good way to get the old chops back. A lot of things fell neatly into place, bit by bit, without any real intention. They just happened well, as it were.
So, now I'm back, now we're writing new material. I'm not faced with pre-written material, as I was when I came back in '03. I was handed an instrumental CD with all the songs the way they would appear on the album, in that order, just without voice. That was my homework: "Here, give it lyrics and voice."

The Gauntlet: How was that?

Lord Worm: It was an interesting project. It certainly took a lot of effort. It took me about four months to do. It's my work, but it's not my idea. Now at least, we're writing things the way things are normally written. The whole band together one song at a time.

The Gauntlet: So how do you think that will change the next album?

Lord Worm: You get a lot of the old, frenetic flavor on newer material. The changes that have marked it were partly on purpose, realizing as I do that Mike DiSalvo has a huge fanbase as well. It is incumbent upon me not to ignore them or to denigrate their appreciation, and so I basically had to warp my delivery into being partly DiSalvo-esque, and partly 'old' Worm, and get the two together into a cohesive whole if at all possible. Hence, 'Once Was Not'. This newer material, though it will fall in that vein, will typically have the darker, more psychotic flavor that made 'None So Vile' so popular.

The Gauntlet: It's interesting to hear you say that, I know a lot of people, at least the 'old-school fans', were really put off by DiSalvo's presence.

Lord Worm: The thing is, when I left, back in late '96, early '97, whenever it was, none of this was big, or globally recognized. We were still just a band from Montreal on our second album on an indie label from Europe. We weren't known�we were becoming known�but we were still on the first riser of the staircase. And we were writing more complex material and things were beginning to happen�but it was still 'pay-to-play'.
So when we asked Mike to do what he did, and he did an excellent job. I trained him upon the stylings of my lyrics, and he delivered them his way, and then he wrote his own on 'Whisper Supremacy' and '�And Then You'll Beg'. Mike works according to rhythm, whereas I work according to melody; so, two different schools. So, him having to cover my tunes was a challenge, and now since I'm back covering his stylings is also a challenge. I have to listen to drums rather than guitar, which is what I've always done.

The Gauntlet: Do you enjoy the challenge?

Lord Worm: Yes and no. I can't really answer that unequivocally. I've met the challenge, and I'm satisfied rather with the results. But did I enjoy getting to that point? No, it was work. I don't like work, to be honest. So, now, though, over the years, somehow 'None So Vile' got to be a classic without my knowing about it. Everyone else found out, I found out about it a few months into my return. I said, "What, it's that big?"

The Gauntlet: Oh, you didn't know?

Lord Worm: No clue. I was out of the music scene. So, hearing not only fellow musicians, but bands, fans, people writing articles for magazines or e-zines or whatever, it's always brought back�'None So Vile', 'None So Vile'� Shit, I hardly remember even recording it. I was on so much booze. Because I must. And I thought, "How the hell did that happen?" But I then read interviews with Tom "Angelripper" of Sodom, whose first EP 'In The Sign of Evil' was recorded the same way, on biblical quantities of alcohol. And it's a global classic as well. 'Huh, do we see an Aristotelian syllogism here?' Alcohol equals good metal?

The Gauntlet: Some have certainly thought it. It works out well enough.
Lord Worm: It'll work for me. So again, now it's a classic, now I do it with that renewed vigor for those who see it as a classic and want to see the songs performed with as much vim and vinegar as possible. Ok, I'll give you that.

The Gauntlet: Is that where the worm chalice comes from?

Lord Worm: No, that comes from way, way back before we were even Cryptopsy, when we were still Necrosis. We were slated by Eric Galy of Galy Records, who up until very recently had been exclusively our merch guy. We would drag him, kicking and screaming, on the road with us. And he's great. He's Eric Galy, that's just what he is. It's always a pleasure to work with him and travel with him.
But it was him who selected us to open for Suffocation on their first every foray into Canada for 'Effigy of the Forgotten'. And we didn't' want to suffer the fate of untold opening acts: forgettable, little, local act that nobody listens to because they're waiting for the big guy.

The Gauntlet: Like the one I'm missing right now to interview you?

Lord Worm: (pause)�Shh.

The Gauntlet: (laughs)

Lord Worm: Yes. (laughs) Anyway. Or have missed and will miss the second. But it's a curse. And you've got very little fanbase to work with and you do your very best. So our first guitarist Steve Thibault knowing that likely, thought, "Well, if we can at least an impression on the people who are present..." This particular show had a roster of four bands. And, back then, I believe this was in '92, I guess. '91, '92. There weren't as many bands as there are now. So anyone on stage was considered worthy of catching if you were at least in the room. There wasn't a smoking area where people could hear you but ignore you happily. God, how things change.
Anyway, the worm idea was Steve Thibault's idea. He said, "Look, we need an attention getter. We need to be remembered for something." Oddly enough it worked so well that Montreal's daily newspaper, in English, 'The Montreal Gazette', in the music column the columnist had gone to see the psychedelic first show that night and wrote that it was so boring all in all he would rather have seen a local metal band eat worms.

The Gauntlet: So it worked!

Lord Worm: Unfortunately, curse of all curses, it worked too well, and people still expect it, 15 years later.

The Gauntlet: So you will not be bringing out the chalice tonight?

Lord Worm: I shall not. It's not that I refuse to, but there are chances that with an all ages show� not necessarily tonight, but we have had someone this tour, among many other tours. All ages show means that often parents show up with the kids. Kids up at the front get worms, parents frown. Frowning parents with lawyers�

The Gauntlet: �leads to bad things.

Lord Worm: It's a scary thing and I can't afford it. So, let's work on something else. No choice. Not that I mind. I don't mind doing the whole worm thing, but it's a bother. Have to get them, alive, because they often wind up dead. You don't feed people dead worms. It's just not done. It's like picking a dead fish up off the beach and saying, 'Hey, let's have fish.' Well, what'd that die of? You know? Clean 'em up, get the chalice, the whole bit, the whole presentation, yadda-yadda. And then there's the small, vocal minority of people who want them and then the vast majority of people who shy away. Well, who am I doing this for? I thought I was doing it for the room, but apparently you people aren't interested. Oh, no, It's just too gross for you�bitch.
(pause) So, I have wasted too much time, money, effort, and now, with the unhappy parents, stress, on something that really can be replaced by something else. People come to a Cryptopsy show�I hope�for the music, and not for the freak circus worm-eater guy. If that's all you're coming for, stay home and watch TV.

The Gauntlet: So, you mentioned that when you were first came in that you were expected to write in a certain way or perform in a certain way?

Lord Worm: When they called me back in late '03, there was a preconceived notion as to how the album would or should be. And, whoever the vocalist would be on that album should conform to the norm set by these restrictions. That it would be a concept album, the songs would follow each other in a linear fashion. And, as much as possible, Cryptopsy was trying to escalate to the next level of acceptability while still remaining as extreme as possible. So, do away overt blasphemy, foul language, or naughty bits. So, no more "chewing on anus", for example.

The Gauntlet: Ah, yes, I remember that.

Lord Worm: Great! So, alright, and the concept album, 'Oh, by the way, the name of the album is 'Once Was Not', that's the concept, have fun.' Well, now I've got homework cut out for me. Now all I've got to do is find something that once was not, now is, expand upon it, over nine songs, in a linear fashion.

The Gauntlet: A challenge.

Lord Worm: Well, anyway, it's done now. Now, I don't have to worry about it anymore, and I can do what I do, and make people uneasy.

The Gauntlet: Do you think that in the next album there will be those naughty bits and overt blasphemy?

Lord Worm: Oh, they're already there. Oh, yes, I'm back. No more homework. So, I'm going to piss a lot of people off. It's just the way it is.

The Gauntlet: It's interesting that a character as unique as yourself would ever decide to leave the music scene.

Lord Worm: I was faced with a choice: it was either leave the music scene or become homeless. Literally that's the way it was presented to me, in reality. So I went with the roof over my head. Sorry, that's the way it goes. And because it was a tough decision, I put it out of my mind for seven years. 'Ok, I'm not in music anymore. Deal with it'.

The Gauntlet: Kind of an all or nothing.

Lord Worm: Otherwise you get doubts, regrets, stress, you get the whole, 'Oh, I better call up Dr. Phil and talk about my lack of closure�' Fuck that shit. Keep drinkin', stop thinkin'. That's all.

The Gauntlet: And now you're back.

Lord Worm: Yeah, and I can still keep drinking. And the thinking is back, but I can think about ways to upset people so it's ok.

The Gauntlet: And you can keep the roof over your head?

Lord Worm: Happily.

The Gauntlet: Does working through Century Media make this process easier? I know that back in the day, it was Wrong Again records...

Lord Worm: For 'None So Vile'. And Invasion records out of Germany for 'Blasphemy�', and we were on our private label, Gore Productions for the demo. So Century didn't come about till 'Whisper�'. And I remember it was a New Year's party, and it was actually Steve Thibault that finalized the decision. He was sort of managing the band at that time. Though no longer guitarist, he had enough contacts and music savvy to work out a deal between Century Media and Cryptopsy. And he presented the band with that contract at that particular party at his place, where Mike DiSalvo and his wife were present. "Here's the contract�Mike". And I thought, 'Cool,' cause, at least, I don't have to sign anything. And I still haven't signed anything. I have no contract with Century Media, I'm a free agent.

The Gauntlet: Do you think that frees up your lyrical allowances?

Lord Worm: When I was asked to come back and asked to follow certain guidelines, that challenge was met. And I have to say, 'Ok, I did it, it's good'. But now I'm really back, and signature, no signature, now I can be me. So who's gonna stop me? Really? The label? No. The fans? No. The band? Ha, no. So, no. I'm back.

The Gauntlet: It seems like Canada is a place where a lot of really technical and really brutal bands are coming out of now�

Lord Worm: Accidentally, but yeah.

The Gauntlet: How do you think that got started, and what is it like now that those type of bands are so continuously produced?

Lord Worm: The thing is�not to say brotherhood, because that's got an overt male thing happening about it. I'll say siblinghood�there're a lot of ladies in the scene. (pause) I don't know, there's something about not just Montr�al, but the Qu�bec scene in general that has attracted the idea of raising the bar. To a certain extent, even with some kids coming up, overstepping the bounds of hierarchy. Some of these kids coming out have the attitude that, well, 'If I'm working with you I must be better than you, cause you're letting me work with you.' Well, no, I'm 'letting' you; I didn't 'ask' you. That nuance, but still. They're coming in with this attitude.
But it translates very well in the live context. So the bands coming in have not only the proficiency and talent, but it comes across very well on stage. That attitude is, 'Yeah, I'm your new God.' Even if you're not, that presentation is kind of cool. Got that sort of Tarantino-esque 'You'd have to stand on someone else's shoulders just to kiss my ass,' kind of thing. The rock star attitude, but you know what, it works in a live context, because it's bigger than life, as opposed to blue jeans and band t-shirts humility, 'Oh, I'm just like everybody else, I even look like you'. �It's over. If you're a musician on stage, you're not like everybody else, because you're the one out there. No one else is. So, deal with that.

The Gauntlet: Seems like the audience wants to have something to look up to, at least just during that set, that time.

Lord Worm: If only then, or just that night, so they can get your autograph, shake your hand, tell you, 'You rule', and then have a few beers with you and then say, 'Wow, we drank with this band, and it was so cool!' But it's a good memory to have. And everyone feels validated by it.

The Gauntlet: Do you think the scene now, with those bands being so up-and-coming, do you think it's healthier or worse off?

Lord Worm: Both. Because, of course with the greater population, there are more chances of there being undiscovered talent out there, someone with something to say who says it differently and who say it well. But then there are going to be a greater number of people who suck and they're just riding the coat-tails of the scene and they have nothing to contribute, but they have the technical ability to do something other than pure shite. And they think they're good for it. They should be found and killed. And if Jesus likes you, they should be killed twice� A little Stephen King there.

The Gauntlet: I think a lot of people would say that's what's happened to metalcore.

Lord Worm: I'm not gonna�yeah I am. Yes. I'm going to agree with you. Fuck the whole politically correct thing. Yes, metalcore, and emo, and the whole emotionally challenged, looking for love in all the wrong places, young puppy kissing metal scene can just find a large whole and sit in it until it dies of starvation, please. And leave the horror to the people who know how to do it.
I'll compare it to the� Stephen J. Cannell, that's the guy. He's now producing the Masters of Horror series, also producing certain horror movies that are not in the series, but they have that Stephen J. Cannell production thing to them. And they'll have moments: a little gore here, that's good, a little bit of violence, that's nice and horrific, a little bit of mood, but not enough to call it 'classic'. And you get kind of white bread horror. And it's got a recipe or formula to it. If it's not predictable, at least it's safe.

The Gauntlet: That which sells, not that which actually deserves the attention?

Lord Worm: Yeah, and it's not breaking any new boundaries, it's not pushing the envelope. It's for the masses. It's like a band that's been around for fifteen or eighteen years, hasn't got the brains to shut up and keeps putting out new albums�not to name Cryptopsy or anything. (laughs)
But the point is, even if you invite recognized talent into your product, like the masters of horror and the directors from all over the place directing these interesting little stories, the budget isn't there, and they're not allowed to move the way they should. So, for instance, I invite�Mark "Barney" Greenway from Napalm Death to do backing vocals on my next album. Yes, he'll be present, yes it'll be "Barney", but he's not allowed to be "Barney" on the album. He's doing what little line we've set out for him, 'Just do that thing, have a safe trip home.' You're not getting the real thing. If you don't give people who have the ability and the talent with something to say the maneuverability that they need, you're just stymieing the whole scene. And let's face, a packed show is a nice thing, but if it's so packed that no one can move, how nice is that? All they can do is just quiver up and down. That's not a mosh pit, that's bacon. You've got to have some room to move. So, an overpopulated music scene leaves to room to move, so the boring bands are everywhere.

The Gauntlet: Too many of them.

Lord Worm: Far too many.

The Gauntlet: How do you think it has changed for Cryptopsy since the Necrosis days to now, in that respect?

Lord Worm: Happily, the evolution has been upwards as opposed to sideways or backwards. Let's face it, evolution is movement. Part of it is certainly due to the line-up changes. Which to a certain extent are a joke�'Gee, who's in the band this year?' But at the same time that new blood breathes new life into a band that, while not in any danger of stagnating is, like it or not, getting chronologically older. So it's nice to have the new kids come in and breathe their fire and ice into the band. Even if we don't follow their lead, we give it a healthy direction to go in. Hence, our new guitarist Chris Donaldson. 26, has a band of his own, from which we sort of snatched him from the side, so Cryptopsy would become his main product, but not his only product. So he's got two directions to go in, and really can ply his craft to the fullest.

The Gauntlet: So he's not here only for the tour?

Lord Worm: Oh, yes, he's Cryptopsy now. He's writing with us now, he'll be on the next releases. But as someone else leaves, they'll be replaced by another new kid who'll add their own energy.

The Gauntlet: So how do you maintain the core, and is there a Cryptopsy ideology you try to continue?

Lord Worm: You know what, it's odd that I'm back, being one of the two founders of the band, the other being the aforementioned Steve Thibault. Flo came in three years later. So, there are no seniority bouts between us. I'm a founder, but I left for seven years, whereas he never left, but he's not a founder. So we have that equality thing happening. We hired him, but he kept the home fires burning, and accrued that seven years of seniority through constant practice, vigilance, and suffering. Oh, the suffering on the road� There's always at least an old guard to keep the new kids in check, and teach them the ways of 'the force', so they understand and can help to procreate or proliferate.

The Gauntlet: So would this be the dark or light side?

Lord Worm: Oh, God, the temptation to say another side altogether� (pause) I'll just call it the ugly side and leave it at that.

The Gauntlet: So, when Jon left, at that point had you come back into the fold?

Lord Worm: Yes, almost a year. We did several shows together. He wasn't in on the None So Vile tour, he missed that by a month, but we did several shows over weekends before that, going across Canada, a little visit in on the States here and there. Weekend shows, Friday Saturday Sunday sort of thing, to get the chops back, and re-familiarize ourselves with each other, to see if chemistry still worked. It gave me a chance to finally work with Alex, who is a replacement for Miguel Roy who was a replacement for Steve Thibault. And now I've gotten to be friends with Alex and we don't have to be in the band to hang out together. Drinking's always good. He's a good drinking partner.

The Gauntlet: That must make the writing process easier, having that familiarity.

Lord Worm: It will now, but it did not for 'Once was Not', as I was handed that instrumental CD. But now, yes we can write together.

The Gauntlet: Do you think the challenge of Once Was Not helped you to continue the evolution of Cryptopsy?

Lord Worm: Yes, it's raised the bar again. And, now, not to say that we're going to devolve with the new material, but we're getting back into a more conventional writing process. That is to say, a step back into the mainstream way of doing things, if you will. That's not going to hinder us. With new material coming out, not only Chris, who's his own influences, but Alex and I both being old school, working together for the first time; Flo now comfortable with the way things are going with his career, liking the idea of simplifying things; Eric, on bass, has wanted to simplify things for years and do basically shorter songs with fewer riffs and parts, things that just hit really hard. Kind of like 'None So Vile'.
So, if we're stepping back, we're not devolving, we're going back to a winning formula but with that new millennium, new line-up kick that might just work. Sort of like breathing new life into old stuff, and breathing stale, old, dead air into new life, and see what we can get out of that. The left lung doesn't know what the right lung is doing sort of thing.

The Gauntlet: I think that could work. Some people said that there were moments on 'Once Was Not' where you were really doing something great, but it seemed like you'd turn off for a while before kicking back on.

Lord Worm: Yeah, that's that complexity thing again. As time went on you see the differences between 'Blasphemy Made Flesh' as opposed to 'None So Vile' where things were getting a little more complex, though far more frenetic, too. All of a sudden 'Whisper Supremacy' comes in with its own complexities and arrangements, and then '�And Then You'll Beg' comes out, and, 'What the hell is this train wreck?' (Ed. Note: Nice pun)
So, once was not was trying to come back to a simpler time, but it's not the kind of thing you can do from one album to another, you've got to slow it down. If you're going 200 miles an hour and you step on the brakes, you're not going to stop on a dime.

The Gauntlet: When the other Cryptopsy albums came out did you listen to them?

Lord Worm: Yes, out of politeness. I own them. Because, like it or not, I'm part of them. There's not a single Cryptopsy release ever that doesn't contain my lyrics one way or another. I'm on every album, even if I didn't perform. So I own them. But no, I don't listen to them; I don't listen to our material at all. I own it all, I don't listen to it.

The Gauntlet: Why not?

Lord Worm: (pause) Because it's not the kind of thing that moves me. I do Cryptopsy because people want me to and I don't mind doing it. It's a musical career to supplement my English teaching career, so I've got two salaries coming in. It's a nice gig in direct compliment and opposition to my day gig, keeps things interesting. But no, it's not what I would choose to do in music if I were really given the choice. I do the best with it that I can and give it my flavors, but let's face it; there are people who don't appreciate my flavors.
I like bands who really don't care what people appreciate and they just do what they do and if nobody likes it, well, 'I don't care what think, I'm doing it anyway.' I like people who leave scads of unhappy people behind them. I like that. Because you've made a mark, even a negative one. It's good.

The Gauntlet: So who is doing that now? Who moves you?

Lord Worm: Oh, Shining.

The Gauntlet: Yes.

Lord Worm: Agreed?

The Gauntlet: I agree, I certainly agree.

Lord Worm: To a certain extent: Mayhem. You know where I'm going with that. Belphegor, but in a completely different way. Belphegor have a recipe, but I like that recipe. They've got that sound and that attitude that I like. They like to leave unhappy people.

The Gauntlet: Mmhmm, it's very cold.

Lord Worm: It's cold, it's mechanical, it's a war-machine, and it keeps driving over the bodies of the dead. It's not going to be happy until they're part of the sand, and I like that overdrive. Anaal Nathrakh, for their coldness. Arkhon Infaustas, for their lack of coldness. They are so warm and bubbly about their viciousness, they love their sin. And I like that about them, it's kind of cute. I like bands that upset people and don't care. Impaled Nazarene�they go way back. Hellhammer�people who just don't care, they have no rules. Beherit, God, Beherit. No rules.
But non-metal, honestly, I don't think there are any rules to Dead Can Dance, either. They do what they do and it's just fabulous. Older Placebo, fabulous, Oh, fabulous. They care so deeply about what they perceive that those lyrics come out with so much raw emotion almost blindly put. The singer almost sounds like Fran Drescher. And that's a good thing! Because I'm sure that Fran Drescher can't sing, and I'm sure if she did and she was singing from her soul, it'd be just as horrific, and that'd be a good thing. I'd like Fran Drescher and Diamanda Galas to do a duo.

The Gauntlet: That'd be� interesting.

Lord Worm: Wouldn't it suck? It'd be amazing.

The Gauntlet: So did you listen to these other metal bands when you were out?

Lord Worm: Oh, god, yes. I never stayed away from music, just life contacts for myself, my own writings and jottings. I stayed away from it. But other people's bands, hell yes. I've remained a member of Montr�al's Satanic Viking council�

The Gauntlet: You have one?

Lord Worm: Yes we do. Oh, yes. And we gather periodically for abuse parties that always feature the newest musings of the hate-filled. Invariably the covers, well there's a little variation, but black and white photography, scenery, people in corsepaint with weapons, hate-filled slogans. You know, the good stuff.

The Gauntlet: What's your opinion on the corpsepaint issue?

Lord Worm: I say, 'Why not'. I've wondered about it. When I first rejoined, and I thought, 'Well, what if I did that?' And Jon pointed out, 'Well, if you're the only one wearing it, we'll look like Mercyful Fate.' Ah, right.

The Gauntlet: So they weren't down with it?

Lord Worm: Not completely. They liked the idea of doing something different, something darker, but they didn't want to be 100% associated with the old corpsepaint black metal movement in the same way that I'm into it. So, ok, that's cool.

The Gauntlet: So I assume you've heard about the reuniting of Immortal, then?

Lord Worm: No, but it's certainly nice to hear. Though I've heard 'I'� that's pretty interesting. He's got a good voice; who'd of thunk it. And you wouldn't recognize him out of make-up. He's almost Glen Danzig looking. He's a big boy, and it's, 'Oh, who's this baby?' You know? Shiiit.

The Gauntlet: I remember seeing pictures of Horgh when he was with Hypocrisy, and it just seemed so strange to see him out of it. But yes, they're coming to the states, two shows, New York and LA.

Lord Worm: I have yet to catch Immortal live. I've had the good fortune to catch many of the musicians I admire, either in a live context�theirs�or mine and they would come to Cryptopsy shows and I would talk to them. They often hear what I'm about and they see my opinions in print of their band. 'Oh, wow, I want to talk to him!' you know. I have yet to have the knockdown, drag-out drink fest with Belphegor. Apparently, the challenge has been issued to Cryptopsy, specifically me, from Belphegor: 'We want to drink with you so we can drink you under the table and feel mighty about it'. I'm down with that. Apparently they're going to be here in North America in the New Year, Krisiun and Belphegor.

The Gauntlet: I heard about that. With Unleashed?

Lord Worm: (pause)

The Gauntlet: I think so.

Lord Worm: Oh, dear. (pause) You see, that's something you just don't miss.

The Gauntlet: I think that's actually going to be here at the Pearl Room.

Lord Worm: I think it'll be near my hometown as well, and I'm not missing that, and I'm going to take them up on that slap in the face with the leather glove. Yeah, we'll drink, I don't care who's under the table, I like drinking with people whose music I admire. It's a mutual admiration thing. I'm sure they wouldn't want to drink with me if they didn't give a fuck.

The Gauntlet: Sure. So, it sounds like you really favor that black metal scene.

Lord Worm: Yes, for many reasons, the prime one being that for a brief period of time I was homeless, a bit before the reunion with Cryptopsy, right in the year 2000. Those that harbored me, for free, thought nothing of it, not even knowing my real name, were black metal. 'Oh, you have no place to go, well, you're going to stay with me, and I'll feed you and take care of you until you get your own place.' We don't even know each other's proper names. That's honorable.

The Gauntlet: And you see that character in the music?

Lord Worm: And you see it live, too, as much as possible. In that we try to give as much of ourselves on stage as possible. We do the sweat, we do the strain, we do lose copious quantities of human breath to the point of nausea, sometimes. We go all out on stage. No safeness, no hair spray. When we get off stage, we are broken down, but goddamn, we gave it all we had. And then next night, we do it all over again. (pause) Booze keeps us going.

The Gauntlet: Hah, motif indeed. So, when you were teaching, did any of your students recognize you?

Lord Worm: My students don't know, and I'm still teaching, actually, I can balance the two careers, actually. The Worm moniker helps me to compartmentalize in that way. I can be Lord Worm at night, on the road, and my other name during the day when I'm teaching, and I can separate the two careers happily. Each has its own kind of paperwork, and taxes to pay. But I can separate the two.

The Gauntlet: Do you think the Lord Worm name still fits you now as well as it once did?

Lord Worm: Not the same person. I've kept it because I had it. It's a good name, and it's catchy. But it doesn't fit me like it did then. I was a crustier, dirtier, more twisted and boneless character back then. Definitely more fitting, I was definitely worm-flesh incarnate. It's changed. If I was more Worm back then, then I'm more Lord now, let's put it that way.

The Gauntlet: So it seems like you've learned from all those experiences.

Lord Worm: To a certain extent, and because I can't really do that any more, physically speaking. (Laughs) We'll go with that excuse.

The Gauntlet: You mentioned that what you're doing now is not necessarily what you would choose in the music field�?

Lord Worm: I'd rather do something acidicly black. Hate-filled and wrong by all aspects of society. Might be like the aforementioned bands: Shining, Belphegor, etc. Rather do what they're doing.

The Gauntlet: Do you think you'll ever actually pursue that?

Lord Worm: There's a possibility. There's been talk between Steve Thibault and I, and we've talked to Flo about it. And we might be able to get a second guitarist and a bassist. Steve would write the music for this album, it would be completely different project for us. Yes it contains members and ex-members of Cryptopsy and other bands, which would probably help it sell, but it'd be one album, one tour, that's it, The End. It would be the last gasp. So, get all that pus out of our systems, stuff that's been festering for years that we've never exorcized�get it out there.

The Gauntlet: Things you couldn't necessarily exorcize through Cryptopsy?

Lord Worm: Through the business aspect of things, so as not to say political correctness, because we're not correct, we're more correct than some� But yes, this would be no rules. Everything would be let loose. Hang the expense.

The Gauntlet: Would you use the same vocal approach?

Lord Worm: (pause) No. No, whatever the moment would demand. Not random, but, because the stylings have evolved and I can do things now that I couldn't back then, there are still things that I can try and experiment with� I think there'd be a wide range.

The Gauntlet: Do you think you're a better, more variable vocalist than you were back then?

Lord Worm: God, yes. There's a whole experimentation with the mid-range. Sharper, high pitches. The experimentation with the spoken vocals, which was interesting, not necessarily saying I would do it, but it's a new style. Well, new for me anyway. Could be some clean, could be some Viking-style, could be some Tibetan monk styling, just to be different. Some sewage gurgling, solar wind spewing�.

The Gauntlet: I know one thing I always enjoyed were those absolutely inhuman shrieks. 'Phobophile', 'Open Face Surgery', I think those helped draw me, at least, into the Cryptopsy experience.

Lord Worm: Well, you've got a couple tonight. 'Adeste Infideles', of course ends with one, 'Phobo�', starts with one, there's one at the beginning of 'Defenestration', a few in 'Carrionshine', as well, and the one at the beginning of 'Crown of Horns'. I think you'll be alright. I think the only one you're missing tonight is 'Open Face�'.

The Gauntlet: It's a great song.

Lord Worm: (pause) It is, isn't it?

The Gauntlet: I think so. The way that riff drives to the end, and then we just know that you're coming, and the scream goes for however long, sixteen, eighteen seconds, however long it is.

Lord Worm: Actually, in the live context I take it to the end, and then keeping going a capella even after the songs finished. I've taken it up to about fifty seconds. We have video footage of that, actually.

The Gauntlet: Is it anywhere people could find?

Lord Worm: There are distributors online who are willing to trade who have a lot of our footage pirated. That whole 'None So Vile' tour with Dan Mongrain of Martyr that we did across the states with Cattle Decapitation, 'Open Face Surgery' was one of the songs we did. So, 'that' happened every night. So someone out there somewhere has one of those forty shows that we did. Because, let's face it, we get pirated all the time, you know it's going to happen. You don't even bother trying to staunch the flow, just deal with it. Enjoy your bootlegging.

The Gauntlet: What do you think of that�

Lord Worm: It's not going to cut into our market, really. If anything it helps it, since it's more people talking.

The Gauntlet: So you don't mind the digital file sharing?

Lord Worm: It's going to happen anyway, so you can either fight it and lose, or not fight it and win.

The Gauntlet: I think it's done a lot to help

Lord Worm: Yes, it promotes. People do it for the love of it. They're not making any money on it, very little.

The Gauntlet: Well, I know interviewers have specific questions�is there anything you'd like to say, or have your audience know?

Lord Worm: Not at this point, really. Just watch for roughly this time next year, roughly October of '07 for a saturation in the marker of Cryptopsy releases. We've got a pile of things to unleash on the world this time next year.

The Gauntlet: New material?

Lord Worm: Acres.

The Gauntlet: Does that mean more than one album?

Lord Worm: How about a double? And a double DVD, with scads of extras. Including the never-seen video of, I believe it was 'Serial Messiah', filmed back in '92, so it includes Jon Levasseur and Steve Thibault. Filmed in I think Super-8. Never been transferred.

The Gauntlet: Do you have name for that upcoming release?

Lord Worm: DVD? No, but it'll be double. And, the album, if everything goes the way we think�remember when Guns 'N' Roses released parts one and two of sort of the same album, just different shades of color for the cover? Same idea: 'The Book of Suffering: Books One and Two'

The Gauntlet: Good title.

Lord Worm: Can do a lot with it. So it's its own concept album, if you will, but it doesn't have to be linear. Everything fits in together. Every song so far, lyrically, because I write separately, every song has a double meaning. Both meanings have to do with suffering. There's the meaning that you'll get from what you read, and it'll be nebulous, and then there'll be the understated one that people might not get. And those are a lot worse. Songs and then the disguised songs.

The Gauntlet: That's good to hear. I know some people are really interested in the lyrical concepts you've been exploring, even from back in the days of 'None So Vile' and its blasphemy and then more recent, esoteric 'Once Was Not'.

Lord Worm: It's an exercise, let's you stretch your word power. Makes you feel clever, pat yourself on the back, get another beer, as a reward.

The Gauntlet: And so the motif continues.

Lord Worm: Yes! The booze goes around�


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Tags:  Cryptopsy  , Lord Worm, interviews

Sam Rahn    October 25, 2006